Cross-national Psychometric Evaluation of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical Student Version.

This study aimed to examine the factorial structure of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy-Medical student version (JSE-S) and assess items' discriminatory ability at higher and lower empathy levels in medical student populations from different countries and languages. JSE-S datasets were retrieved from previous studies of 4113 first- and/or second-year medical students from Switzerland, Portugal, Italy, Brazil, France, Spain, New Zealand, UK, Ireland, Mexico, and Peru. Parallel principal component analyses and item response theory were applied.

Physical Activity Predicts Better Lung Function in Children and Adolescents.

Purpose: To investigate (1) whether physical activity is associated with lung function in children and adolescents, (2) whether this association is modified by the subjects' weight status, and (3) whether this association is mediated by the body mass index.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study including 460 participants aged 7-17 years, randomly selected from 13 public schools in southern Brazil. Collected data included anthropometric measures, physical activity, screen time, and spirometric measures expressed as percent predicted values.

Does Regular Exercise Impact the Lung Function of Healthy Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Purpose: To assess the quality of the available evidence on the effect of exercise for the improvement of lung function in healthy children and adolescents.

Method: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies examining the effects of regular exercise on spirometric parameters of healthy children and adolescents aged ≤18 years.

Results: Within the exercise groups, there were significant improvements in forced vital capacity (mean difference: 0.

Students' intentions to practice primary care are associated with their motives to become doctors: a longitudinal study.

Background: Medical schools can contribute to the insufficient primary care physician workforce by influencing students' career preferences. Primary care career choice evolves between matriculation and graduation and is influenced by several individual and contextual factors. This study explored the longitudinal dynamics of primary care career intentions and the association of students' motives for becoming doctors with these intentions in a cohort of undergraduate medical students followed over a four-year period.

Relationship between self-reported cognitive and behavioural empathy among medical students.

Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between cognitive and behavioural empathy in medical students.

Methods: Fourteen 4th year medical students recruited on the basis of their scores on the self-reported Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE-S) were divided into two groups: low JSE-S scorers (n = 8) (M = 96.75, SD = 10.

Development and Cross-National Validation of a French Version of the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Students.

Empathy is a multifaceted personal ability combining emotional and cognitive features modulated by cultural specificities. It is widely recognized as a key clinical competence that should be valued during professional training. The Jefferson Scale of Empathy for medical students (JSE-S) has been developed for this purpose and validated in several languages, but not in French.

Trajectories of learning approaches during a full medical curriculum: impact on clinical learning outcomes.

Background: No consensus exists on whether medical students develop towards more deep (DA) or surface learning approaches (SA) during medical training and how this impacts learning outcomes. We investigated whether subgroups with different trajectories of learning approaches in a medical students' population show different long-term learning outcomes.

Methods: Person-oriented growth curve analyses on a prospective cohort of 269 medical students (M=21years, 59 % females) traced subgroups according to their longitudinal DA/SA profile across academic years 1, 2, 3 and 5.

Patterns of Change in Approaches to Learning and Their Impact on Academic Performance Among Medical Students: Longitudinal Analysis.

Several medical education studies suggest that deep approaches to learning (DA) are associated with better academic performance, whereas surface approaches (SA) are associated with worse academic performance. However, no study has assessed how these approaches change at the individual level during undergraduate medical training and how these trajectories contribute to academic performance. We assessed individual patterns of change in learning approaches throughout five years of medical training to determine whether and how DA and SA evolve during the curriculum and whether initial levels and rates of change predict performance in Year 5.

Empathy trajectories throughout medical school: relationships with personality and motives for studying medicine.

Empathy remains a widely discussed topic within medical education research. Studies on empathy changes among medical students are not univocal: empathy may decline, remain stable or increase. A largely unexplored research question regards inter-individual variability in empathy change, namely if different longitudinal trajectories of empathy exist.

Associations between motivational factors for studying medicine, learning approaches and empathy among medical school candidates.

Previous research highlighted associations between students' motivation for medical studies and their learning approaches on the one hand and empathy on the other. Internal motivational factors for studying medicine (e.g.

Integrated problem-based learning versus lectures: a path analysis modelling of the relationships between educational context and learning approaches.

Students' approaches to learning are central to the process of learning. Previous research has revealed that influencing students' approaches towards deep learning is a complex process and seems much more difficult than expected, even in student-activating learning environments. There is evidence that learning approaches are impacted not only by the learning environment, but also by how students perceive it.

Factors associated with cessation of smoking among Swiss adults between 1991 and 2011: results from the SAPALDIA cohort.

Introduction: Smoking is still the most preventable cause of disease and premature death in Switzerland, as elsewhere. We aimed to assess the main determinants of smoking cessation in the population-based cohort of SAPALDIA (Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults).

Methods: The SAPALDIA study was initiated in 1991 with 9651 participants aged 18 to 60 years from eight areas (S1).

Hypertension, diabetes and lifestyle in the long-term - Results from a Swiss population-based cohort.

Healthy lifestyles are integral in preventing and treating common cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The aim of this study was to observe smoking habits, alcohol intake, physical activity and body mass index over a 10-year period in a population-based cohort, particularly focusing on participants with hypertension and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Included were 4155 participants from the first (2001-2003) and second (2010-2011) follow-ups of the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults (SAPALDIA).

High blood pressure: prevalence and adherence to guidelines in a population-based cohort.

Questions Under Study: High blood pressure, the single leading health risk factor worldwide, contributes greatly to morbidity and mortality. This study aimed to add to the understanding of diagnosed and undiagnosed high blood pressure in Switzerland and to evaluate adherence to hypertension guidelines.

Methods: Included were 3962 participants from the first (2001-2003) and second (2010-2011) follow-ups of the population-based Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults.

Air pollution and diabetes association: Modification by type 2 diabetes genetic risk score.

Exposure to ambient air pollution (AP) exposure has been linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D) risk. Evidence on the impact of T2D genetic variants on AP susceptibility is lacking. Compared to single variants, joint genetic variants contribute substantially to disease risk.

Common SIRT1 variants modify the effect of abdominal adipose tissue on aging-related lung function decline.

Lung function is an independent predictor of mortality and serves as an aging marker in never smokers. The protein sirtuin-1 of gene SIRT1 has profound anti-inflammatory effects and regulates metabolic pathways. Its suggested longevity effects on lower organisms remain poorly studied in humans.

Personal profile of medical students selected through a knowledge-based exam only: are we missing suitable students?

Introduction: A consistent body of literature highlights the importance of a broader approach to select medical school candidates both assessing cognitive capacity and individual characteristics. However, selection in a great number of medical schools worldwide is still based on knowledge exams, a procedure that might neglect students with needed personal characteristics for future medical practice. We investigated whether the personal profile of students selected through a knowledge-based exam differed from those not selected.

A common functional variant on the pro-inflammatory Interleukin-6 gene may modify the association between long-term PM10 exposure and diabetes.

Background: Air pollutants have been linked to type 2 diabetes (T2D), hypothesized to act through inflammatory pathways and may induce interleukin-6 gene (IL6) in the airway epithelium. The cytokine interleukin-6 may impact on glucose homeostasis. Recent meta-analyses showed the common polymorphisms, IL6 -572G > C and IL6 -174G > C to be associated with T2D risk.

Rhinitis in Swiss adults is associated with asthma and early life factors, but not second hand tobacco smoke or obesity.

Background: Second hand tobacco smoke (SHS) and overweight/obesity are risk factors for asthma and lower airway respiratory symptoms. We investigated whether SHS or overweight/obesity were also associated with allergic or non-allergic rhinitis.

Methods: Cross-sectional data were obtained during the second SAPALDIA Study.

How Many Responses Do We Need? Using Generalizability Analysis to Estimate Minimum Necessary Response Rates for Online Student Evaluations.

Unlabelled: CONSTRUCT: The study compares paper and online ratings of instructional units and analyses, with the G-study using the symmetry principle, the response rates needed to ensure acceptable precision of the measure when compliance is low.

Background: Students' ratings of teaching contribute to the quality of medical training programs. To date, many schools have replaced pen-and-paper questionnaires with electronic forms, despite the lower response rates consistently reported with the latter.

Long-Term Exposure to Ambient Air Pollution and Metabolic Syndrome in Adults.

Air pollutants (AP) play a role in subclinical inflammation, and are associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is inflammatory and precedes cardiovascular morbidity and type 2 diabetes. Thus, a positive association between AP and MetS may be hypothesized.

Spirometer Replacement and Serial Lung Function Measurements in Population Studies: Results From the SAPALDIA Study.

The Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults (SAPALDIA), a population cohort study, used heated-wire spirometers in 1991 and 2002 and then ultrasonic spirometers in 2010 revealing measurement bias in healthy never smokers. To provide a practical method to control for measurement bias given the replacement of spirometer in long-term population studies, we built spirometer-specific reference equations from healthy never smokers participating in 1991, 2002, and 2010 to derive individualized corrections terms. We compared yearly lung function decline without corrections terms with fixed terms that were obtained from a quasi-experimental study and individualized terms.

Ambient air pollution and adult asthma incidence in six European cohorts (ESCAPE).

Background: Short-term exposure to air pollution has adverse effects among patients with asthma, but whether long-term exposure to air pollution is a cause of adult-onset asthma is unclear.

Objective: We aimed to investigate the association between air pollution and adult onset asthma.

Methods: Asthma incidence was prospectively assessed in six European cohorts.

Is there a differential impact of parity on blood pressure by age?

Objective: In pregnancy, women experience metabolic and hemodynamic changes of potential long-term impact. Conflicting evidence exists on the impact on blood pressure (BP). We investigated the association between parity and BP in the Swiss Study on Air Pollution And Lung and Heart Disease In Adults cohort.